Democratic Governor Pat Quinn invited his Republican election challenger State Senator Mark Brady to lunch at Manny's Tuesday. The candidates were trying to settle some issues from a very bitter campaign.

They ordered corned beef sandwiches and potato latkes (pancakes) and then ate lunch in front of a dozen cameras and microphones.

Chicago is known for its political theater.

The two men emerged from the lunch agreeing on a few issues, and disagreeing on the need for raising the state income tax.

The "sandwich summit" followed the "beer summit" held earlier between Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulis and Mark Kirk. That was held at Chicago's famed "Billy Goat Tavern." That's was the inspiration for John Belushi's famous "cheeburger cheeburger" sketch on Saturday Night Live back in the '70's.

Now as you embark on your Thanksgiving travels think about this.

Imagine if Governor O'Malley invited former Governor Ehrlich to share a corned beef sandwich at "Chick and Ruth's." Imagine if Andy Harris invited Frank Kratovil to share some crabcakes at Obryicki's.

Would the candidates agree to turning it into a media event? Would the candidates attend? Think of the possibilities.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Courthouse East....One Year Later.

I'm not the type of person who spends a lot of time reflecting on the big stories that I have covered. I'd rather spend more time thinking about the next story, and the next deadline. However, the arrest of Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson and his wife last week got me thinking about the story that dominated November of last year. It was the theft trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon which took place at Courthouse East in Baltimore. As you may recall, in November, 2009, Mayor Dixon was facing the first of two trials. This one centered on the theft of gift cards that were donated for needy children. Agents for the Maryland State Prosecutor's office had raided Dixon's home a year earlier and found some of the gift cards, along with lots of other items. Unlike Leslie Johnson, Mayor Dixon didn't hide any of the alleged stolen items in her bra. However, prosecutors did point out some of the gift cards were found in the mayor's closet in a Victoria's Secret bag. There is the lingerie connection.

The mayor really didn't say much during the trial, but she did open up in anger to her press aide Ian Brennan. The mayor kept trying to maintain the impression that all was normal in the city.

It took two days to pick a jury. It took five days for all of the testimony to be heard, and it took the jury seven days to reach a guilty verdict only on one of the seven charges against Dixon. That charge was misappropriation of gift cards. A number of people were thrust into the spotlight, including Juror Number 3 Shawana Tyler. She was one of the first jurors to speak after the verdict was reached.

The defense later argued that Tyler did not disclose she had met Dixon three years earlier at a supermarket promotion. The defense also argued that the verdict should be set aside because Tyler and four other jurors sent messages to each other on Facebook while they were deliberating. All of that would become a moot issue in January, when on the day of what was supposed to be an appeal hearing, Dixon and her legal team reached a plea agreement that ended her perjury trial. Under the agreement, Dixon did not receive any prison time and kept her $83,000 a year city pension. She resigned on February 4. She is also barred from running for office until 2015.

To this day, Sheila Dixon has never apologized for her actions.

She currently does some consulting work for a minority contractors association, and performs her court ordered community service.

The last word on this case came from Judge Dennis Sweeney who told Dixon upon her sentencing that she left City Hall "in disgrace."

Monday, November 8, 2010

"TV Teddy" Returns To The Old Courthouse

The election of Councilman Kevin Kamenetz as Baltimore County Executive last week means the temporary return of Ted Venetoulis to the old Baltimore County Courthouse.

Nicknamed "TV Teddy" by some for his white anchorman like hair, Ted Venetoulis served as Baltimore County Executive from 1974-1978. He also got the nickname because as county executive he held a lot of events that wound up on the evening news. He will serve as an unpaid "transition advisor" for Kamenetz, who takes office December 6.

Venetoulis was elected county executive in the wake of the 1974 conviction of County Executive Dale Anderson, who went to prison after he was convicted of tax crimes, extortion, and conspiracy. In 1978, Venetoulis ran for governor, losing the Democratic Primary to Harry Hughes.

He then worked at WBAL-TV in the late '70's and '80's as a political analyst and host of a terrific weekly news magazine called "Edition Eleven." In the video below, he is seen in a commercial for WBAL-TV along with a bearded Stan Stovall.

He is now the president of Corridor Media, and was part of a group of executives a few years ago who attempted to buy the Baltimore Sun.

When I met him last week, I asked Venetoulis to give me some analysis of the election.

He says Maryland voters by and large don't like "extreme" views from either the right or the left, and they accepted and approved Governor O'Malley's leadership. On the local level in Baltimore County, voters generally don't vote based on party lines, or legislation, but how well government is administered. He says success in local government is judged on whether the pot holes are fixed, the trash is removed, or the snow is cleared from the roads. He says that regardless of party, if a local official does all of those things well, he or she will be successful.

Kamenetz's relationship with Venetoulis dates back to 1974 when Venetoulis was running for county executive.

As a teenager, Kamenetz served as a volunteer driver for Venetoulis. He remembered Kamenetz as very energetic who would meet him at 5 a.m., so the two could go down to Sparrows Point at the 7 a.m. shift change to meet workers going to, or leaving work.

Kamenetz says he will not hire Venetoulis to be his driver 36-years later, and Venetoulis insists he will not have any kind of role in a Kamenetz administration. However, for the next few weeks Ted Venetoulis will be involved in Baltimore County government as the new administration prepares to take office.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Now That The Dust Has Settled.....

"The election is over. We can get back to normal, but it is the same old crap."

Those were the words of my dentist Thursday morning, right before he put a lot of sharp objects into my mouth for my twice annual teeth cleaning.

Two days after the election, things are starting to get back to normal. We no longer see campaign ads on our televisions, and the campaign signs are starting to disappear.

Baltimore County has an ordinance requiring candidates to remove signs within 45 days after an election. Other jurisdictions have their own limits. I can tell you in my neighborhood the signs were still there early Thursday morning, but in others they were disappearing.

A WBAL colleague of mine in Catonsville said the large "Ehrlich/Kane" sign in front of the Double-T diner on Route 40 and Rolling Road disappeared early Wednesday. The colleague spotted the sign at 2 a.m. Wednesday. By 11 a.m. the sign was gone.

Just remember as the signs disappear, the Christmas decorations will take their place, and those may stay up until March.

Some other random observations from Tuesday night.

Both Senator Barbara Mikulski and Governor Martin O'Malley spent Election Night at the American Visionary Arts Museum. Mikulski was first on the stage. She spoke around 9:15 p.m, just as NBC, AP and other news organizations were clearing O'Malley the winner. That meant some quick work for stage hands. No sooner did Mikulski leave the stage, that crews removed the red and white Mikulski banner, and replaced it with the green, white and black O'Malley/Brown banner. Kudos to the stage crew for getting this done quickly.

Also, take a look at the picture of Governor O'Malley delivering his victory speech. Off to the left, obscured by the podium is Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. Off to the right, obscured by Katie O'Malley and her two sons is Attorney General Doug Gansler.

Both Gansler and Brown are seen as likely candidates to succeed O'Malley in 2014. By my untrained eye, it appears that Gansler is standing a little closer to O'Malley than Brown. What that means for the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, and who O'Malley might endorse is anybody's guess. However, this is one of the fun things to note on election night, or at least I think it is fun, and this is my blog, so there.